Thursday, June 25, 2009

27 Weeks...last part of the 2nd Trimester

Well, Miss Audrey is still growing by the week...as is my belly.

She is weighs about 2lbs, like a head of cauliflower, and is about 14.5 inches long. She is opening and closing her eyes, possibly sucking her fingers....and even sleeping and waking at regular intervals. (Too bad she couldn't continue the latter right out of the womb!) Although her lungs are still immature, I read that they would be capable of function, with lots of medical help, if she were born now.

Audrey has been quite the mover and shaker lately...swimming laps and practicing her boxing...anything to pass the time. She has even taken to kickboxing right against my full bladder. Our little girl is definitely making her presence known, but I have to be grateful...she is quite gentle considering how much (or little) room she has in there. Not to mention...I LOVE feeling her move around.

Chris and I took our first (of two) Childbirth Prep Class last Saturday...five hours long. And believe it or not, it was not information overload. The hard chairs were a pain towards the end of class (I could have used a nice comfortable couch), but other than that...it was pretty interesting.

[I didn't have to drag the husband! He even said time went faster than he thought. But I did buy him an ice cream cone right before class and brought us lots of snacks. You could say I was sharpening my bribery skills on Chris with the aid of treats & snacks, before I use it on our kids.] Is that wrong?

We learned all about the signs of labor, what to expect during labor and delivery, epidurals and their benefits vs risks, and how big 10 centimeters really is! [wowsers] Our instructor is super sweet and pretty knowledgeable, although our classmates left something to be desired. There must have been about 10 - 12 couples...only 3 of which (including us) looked like we wanted to be there. Even the moms-to-be looked miserable! The looks on their faces resembled h.s. kids on the last week of class. No joke. One class down......and one more left this Saturday.

Anywho, here's the latest pic of me and my girl!


Baby Bump - 27 Weeks

What's in a name?

I realize that we've yet to make an "official" announcement of our BabyGirl's name on the blog! (Just got so used to calling her BabyP or BabyGirl). Although we haven't mentioned it on here, it hasn't been kept "secret" per se... just telling people as it came up.

Just get to it already! We are going to name our Baby Girl:

Audrey Marie Prilaman

Audrey is one of the few girl names we agreed on from the start and we've really just fallen in love with it. We've been referring to our BabyGirl with that name since we found out "it" was a "she". And the name seems to fit her now. :) It's an older name, more traditional, yet not quite one of the Golden Girls...and definitely not too many at the local park/school.

Meaning of Audrey: Noble strength

Marie is my middle name, as well as the middle name of my Mom. It was really important to me to use this name for my first girl if possible. Luckily Marie can 'go' with pretty much any name. [Who knows, maybe Audrey will carry on the tradition. Or, maybe she'll want to beat to her own drum.]

Audrey is neither a family name, nor is she being named after the actress (Audrey Hepburn). Just a name both Chris and I really love...and hope she will too. :)

Making her debut this September: Audrey Marie!

Monday, June 22, 2009

Being a Mom...

I wanted to share this sweet email sent to me by my friend and neighbor, who has recently become a "mommy" this June. Although nothing can truly prepare you for motherhood, the story below gives us new moms-to-be a hint of the life changes that lie ahead.

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.........Being a Mom.........
We are sitting at lunch one day when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of starting a family. 'We're taking a survey,' she says half-joking. 'Do you think I should have a baby?' 'It will change your life,' I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral. 'I know,' she says, 'no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous vacations. But that is not what I meant at all. I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her.

I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes. I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable. I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking, 'What if that had been MY child?' That every plane crash and every house fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die.

I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of 'Mom!' will cause her to drop her best crystal without a moment’s hesitation. I feel that I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for childcare, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting and she will think of her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right.

I want my daughter to know that every day decisions will no longer be routine. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at McDonald's will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that restroom. However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother.

Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself. That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give herself up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years, not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs. I want her to know that a cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honor.

My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, and not in the way she thinks. I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his child. I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would now find very unromantic.

I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and drunk driving. I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike. I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or cat for the first time. I want her to taste the joy that is so real it actually hurts.

My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. 'You'll never regret it,' I finally say. Then I reached across the table, squeezed my daughter's hand and offered a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Frilly Little Nursery

So, aside from all of the cleaning and organizing we've been working on.....we've had a bit of fun too. Decorating you first baby's nursery, especially a lil girl, can be overwhelming. Bold colors and loud prints that she can grow into? Mature patterns and colors that fit into our house decor? Something girly and frilly...in case she is our only girl?

Well, after much debate (internal-debate, that is...Chris pretty much gave me full-reign, but he held veto power) I decided to go with pink and feminine and traditional. Let's get real: it won't be long until she's choosing what she wants to put on her walls and grows up too fast, so I'm making her nursery our frilly, lacy, little sanctuary while I can. :)

I just wanted to share the progress we've made so far:


* The Furniture *
Crib, hutch, and 6 drawer dresser (not shown) in Espresso.
The crib is a "Lifetime" Crib, which can into a toddler bed, daybed, and full.

* The Bedding*
We found this "Emma Rose" Kidsline Bedding at a local baby store,
but then learned it was being discontinued. With some help of my fab sis-in-law, we found a heck of a deal online for a 6 piece set! The pattern has dark and light pink roses and hints of purple too. The quilt has the most adorable cream lace w/ rose buds, and the flip-side of the quilt is a white pattern with tiny pink rosebuds, too. Does it get anymore girly and feminine? :)

(The picture does not do it justice!)

* The Wall Color*
Although a specific brand or color of paint has not been chosen or purchased, we have decided on a light lavender color for the walls. I'm hoping this, as well as splashes of sage green, will add a nice contrast to the pink. (The wall color below is similar to what we're looking at, but may go a bit lighter.)

So, that's where the nursery stands as of now. Once we're able to clear out her room, we'll paint and start putting things together. There are still little odds and ends to decide on....art for the walls...artsy pictures, her name hanging on the wall, family pictures...and choosing a glider. All-in-all, I feel okay about where we're at.....but these weekend will fly by before we know it. And I'm ready to see our plan in action.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

97 Days To Go...!?!

Our baby girl is now 26 weeks along...only around 14 weeks until she's here! [Holy cow!] We've been busy preparing for BabyP...attempting to clean out the "nursery-to-be" and cleaning the garages out and reorganizing the entire condo. The furniture is ready to be picked up at the store, and the bedding has come in...if only we had her room painted and ready for decorations. =) This weekend, however, rather than focusing on "nesting"...Chris and I have our first Childbirth Preparation Class. I'm sure I'll have some interesting tidbits to share with you.

OH, and our baby girl is the length of an English hothouse cucumber and weighs around a pound and two-thirds.

OKAY, the bumps:


Baby Bump - 25 Weeks


Baby Bump - 26 Weeks

Thursday, June 4, 2009

16 Weeks Left!

Our little girl is growing and growing and at 24 weeks young, she's about the size of an ear of corn. Although she has been pretty lean up to this point.....she will now start filling in and forming those Prilaman-Kline cheeks we all know she'll don. Her brain is still growing, her respiratory system is refining and taste buds are developing. I've read that the foods I eat now can possibly effect her 'likes' when she's older. Guess I better start eating even more veggies! (And less ice cream...? Nah.)

This morning I had a doctor appointment where we went over the BIG ultrasound...and everything looks great! BabyP's size, weight, and organs are all growing as they should. (Thank the Lord.) According to her size at the ultrasound, we are still due at the end of September... putting us somewhere between September 22nd and 25th. For clarity, we'll just stick with 9/23/09. :) Here's the latest bump!

Baby Bump - 24 Weeks